


Buckys Dream Girl

by keznik



Category: Captain America (Movies), Darcy Lewis - Fandom, Ducky - Fandom, Marvel (Movies), Thor (Movies), Winter Soldier (Comics), Wintershock - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Post rehabilitation, WinterShock - Freeform, bad language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-05-11 06:48:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5617378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keznik/pseuds/keznik
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was very little left of the alarm clock, it's final bleeps muffled in a squashed pile of electronics, plastic and metal.  It's attacker grumbled as he pulled the sheet back over his head, trying desperately to get back to his dream.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First glance

**Author's Note:**

> Possible new idea for a story. Not beta'd, any errors feel free to let me know. As usual I still own nothing, Marvel owns everything including my Barnsie.
> 
> Quick edit before a second chapter comes.
> 
> This is set before Civil War and Age of Ultron but I have allowed Steve to have found Bucky after CATWS.

There was very little left of the alarm clock, it's final bleeps muffled in a squashed pile of electronics, plastic and metal. Its attacker grumbled as he pulled the sheet back over his head, trying desperately to get back to his dream. 

___#___#___#___#___#___#____

Every morning he had woken before the alarm, covered in a film of cold sweat, screams ringing in his ears. His clenched fists tearing through the soft cotton sheets. Jarvis was always there, a disembodied but comforting voice, gently detailing exit status’s, medical stats, anything his heightened state needed. As the months went by at the tower, the early morning jolt starts had slowly dispersed. A more natural REM cycle had replaced those terrors during his rehabilitation. Steve had helped so much with the nightmares but now, well there was something new infiltrating his dreams.

Something new, or rather, someone new. 

He’d seen her once, briefly; before being whisked away on one of his rehabilitation jaunts. She had been standing next to Thor in the common room, her long dark hair framing her pale pretty face, looking so awkward. He had wondered why she was bundled up in such a large jumper, it wasn't that cold. His quizzical expression caught her eye and she raised the corners of her mouth in an almost smile. His stride faltered and Clint tugged on his arm.

"Sorry Barnes, no time for socialising. Got to catch the jet, don't want to keep Nat waiting."

"But who is she?" Bucky craned his neck, trying to look back into the common room as they paced through the doorway.

You mean Jane? Oh! She’s just some astrophysicist we acquired a couple of years back. Also the main squeeze of our resident thunder god. Come on Buck, I don't want to be late!"

Bucky’s brow furrowed. The first attractive woman he had actually even noticed since coming to the tower, since being James Buchanan Barnes again, and she wasn’t even available. He'd almost felt like himself, the old charmer again.

"Women are so much trouble anyway." Clint mumbled under his breath.

"Only cause you can't get anywhere with Natalia." Snarked Bucky with a little more venom than he anticipated.

"For fucks sake Barnes! I'm not interested in Nat, she's my partner and I couldn't anyway....besides she only has eyes for your mate, Steve." Clint looked down and away from Bucky betraying how much it bothered him.

"Yeah, ha-ha, I had noticed! He hasn't though." Bucky playfully punched Clint on the arm cajoling a smile out of the archer.

They chuckled together as they boarded the quinjet, receiving stern eyebrows from Natasha. 

"Buckle up boys, we're late." 

___#___#___#___#___#___

Bucky watched Tony's face. It was all screwed up in concentration one second and then stretched out as he tried to hit the high notes of the ACDC song blasting through the workshop. He was tapping his makeshift screwdriver drumsticks in between fiddling with the plates on Bucky’s metal arm. Suddenly his face calmed and a shit eating grin spread wide across his face.

"J, off with the tunes, I have something I need to ask our pretty metal man!"

The room went quiet and Bucky felt apprehensive under Tony’s less than angelic gaze. As he held up his other hand to place a barrier between them, Tony let out a belly laugh. 

"Sheesh Barnsey, I'm not coming onto you! I'm only interested in your hard shiny appendage, haha. No, no, I know that you love the girls, and happen to have an inappropriate crush on a rather taken one. If you're gonna fancy someone's girl, you really aught to keep clear of a Gods!"

Bucky drew up in his seat, clearly annoyed and embarrassed. Staring him down, eye to eye, he told Tony to back off. 

"Fucking Clint! Can't keep his goddamn mouth shut. I just noticed her standing next to Thor in that stupidly baggy jumper. I thought she was interesting and she looked as awkward being here as I did!"

"Jane's fitting in just fine here, already commandeered my biggest lab, totally upset my Brucie. Not really the awkward type though really. Bossy! Bossy I can agree with." Tony moved out of Bucky's space and absentmindedly stroked his chin with the tip of his screwdriver.

"It's just the way she was fiddling with her glasses." Bucky’s voice was quiet and he just wanted to get away from the situation. Get away from the nosy, in your face annoying force that was Tony Stark. "Put my plates back on and let me get outta here". He held his arm out to Tony who was still pacing around him.

"Please?" Tony whispered into his ear widely grinning.

"Fucking, please!"

Tony was still for a moment. Then as he started to reattach the plates he hummed a little tune. "I know something you don't know, dum dum dum de dum dum dum."

"Tony, I'm going to say this only once. If you want to keep your face looking like that, then either tell me or shut up!" 

Bucky was shocked when Tony winked at him and wondered again if the billionaire was as straight as his social lifestyle suggested. 

"J, show our Russianised assassin here, a picture of Jane"

"Of course, Sir."

Bucky looked over at the screen, not recognising the brown haired girl in the picture. Tony placed a firm hand on his shoulder as the soldier looked up at him, clearly confused. 

"Not your girl then champ?"

Bucky managed a shake of his head, his anger dissipating as he wondered who on earth he had been thinking about.

"My guess is, you caught the eye of our newest intern. She makes a great cup of coffee and has some amazing attributes!"

"Who is she?"

"Her name my dear cryo-icicle, is Darcy".

Tony finished up quickly with his arm and rotated it, letting the mechanism reconfigure. Bucky thanked Tony as nonchalantly as he could manage and raced back to his quarters.

"Jarvis, please can you show me a picture of Darcy?"

Instantly a picture appeared on his screen of the girl he saw in the common room. He'd not even registered anyone else. He traced the line of her hair on the screen.

"There you are."

___#___#___#___#___#___

He had gone to sleep thinking of her image, so much so, that he had dreamt of her again. A simple dream where he had spoken to her, used a few of his old lines, made her laugh. Then he'd dreamt about the softness of her skin, the warmth of her lips how it would feel to kiss her, hold her. 

That's when the alarm rang, spoiling the sensations and unceremoniously copped it, dying pitifully. His dream was fading and all he could remember was the loss of her touch. 

He needed to find out more, actually meet her. Pushing out of his bed he headed to the bathroom, resolving to get more information from Jarvis after his training session. He had some frustration to work off.

___#___#___#___#___


	2. Mirrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky has clinical hypnosis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it has taken so long. Life has put me through the wringer lately. 
> 
> Unbetad and written late at night. Please let me know if there is any glaring mistakes. Thanks.

He shifted in his chair as the hypnotist explained the process. Her smooth deep voice surrounded him as he closed his eyes, imagining the staircase as he walked down. His foot falls, a soft noise on the warm wooden stairs gradually changed to a clang. He looked down to his once bare feet to see thick black boots stepping heavily on metal girders. His anxiety grew with the cacophony echoing around the stairwell. 

"Please carry on towards the door at the foot of the stairs Sargent Barnes, reach out towards it."

Bucky concentrated and visualised a door at the base. His first image of the heavy oak double sized door was swept aside and replaced by a thin metal opening, the glass panel frosted with wire criss crossed through it. It was cold, so cold. He wanted to pull away from the door, run back up the stairs, just wake up.

"Sargent Barnes. James. Open the door. Nothing can hurt you here. This is your safe room."

The handle was just a few inches from his fingertips. Flexing his hand he took a breath and reached out. It opened noiselessly, smoothly opening the portal to this 'safe' room. 

For a brief moment he felt as if he was back in the cryo lab. Metal tables surrounded the walls leaving an expance of wet tiled floor. An incessant beeping alerted him to a large chair over to his right. His breath stalled in his chest. Heart clenching as a flashback of being pushed back into the chair, clamped in, held down. Escape. He needed to get out.

"James. It's ok. I'm with you. This is your room, not theirs. Your rules, your furniture, your space. Close your eyes and repeat after me. .......This is mine, only mine, always mine."

Bucky closed his eyes, closed the door and repeated the words. 

"Mine....Mine. ..Mine. .." He repeated again and again under his breath. Opening his minds eye once more he looked at the door. The cold metal was gone, replaced by a worn wooden door. One he'd seen so many times growing up. His own front door. His Brooklyn apartment door. 

He pushed it open and walked into his room. The muted colours mixed with the welcoming smell of home cooking. He was home. An unexpected tear spilled down his cheek. 

"Well done James. Please look around and describe what you see. You should see unusual items in the room, ones that I will need to hear about."

Nothing felt that unusual though. He moved further into the room, his fingertips brushing along an old pine side table. Absentmindely he rubbed away the dust on them as his eye caught a mirror to his left. It was the size of a shaving mirror, one he'd used many times before. The face reflected though was back from the 1930's. James Buchanen Barnes. Bucky to his friends. To the girls too. He was smiling, combing his hair, biting his bottom lip, checking out his wink. Carefree.

Bucky straightened the mirror, a smile on his own face. He missed that Bucky. 

He looked around and immediately noticed another mirror. The chromed rectangular mirror was simple in its military style. It was next to another, and another; a long line of the same style mirror. Each one showed the Winter Soldier. Each one he was firing a weapon, committing an assassination, taking lives without care. He was the Asset, doing what he was told. 

Moving away he looked for a different mirror, horrified at the volume. He could feel the anxiety creep up on him. Taking a deep breath he fixated back to the shaving mirror. He whispered "Mine" as he slowly breathed out. 

A whisp of hair distracted him. He turned on his heels to try and catch the image. This new large mirror felt as if it had just swallowed the girl that had ran past him. She was still running further into the mirror. 

"Wait!"

He reached out to the mirror expected to be swallowed up too, but was met with smooth glass. It felt warm, much warmer anything else in the room.

She stopped and turned to the sound of his voice. Raising her hand she waved. 

"Darcy?"

The girl did a fancy curtsey and blew him a kiss before walking towards a door in her mirror. She gave him a final wave before she disappeared. The mirror fogged up and Bucky quickly placed his hand where she had been. 

Nothing. No warmth. She'd gone.

All the other mirrors fogged up too and he could hear the therapist calling for him to return. He walked back through the front door and walked up the stairs to the sound of counting. Darcy's face, her sweet actions ran through his mind. He struggled to keep them crisp for as long as possible but with every step up towards complete consiousness, he felt the image become fuzzy. Just the warmth of her presence remained. 

He was going to have to finally meet her. She'd been in the Tower for weeks now but he just didn't know how to approach her. He had learned that she had been in London when the portals had opened, she had been pretty brave but had PTSD of her own. The ever sensible Steve had suggested that Bucky just stick to his rehabilitation and leave personal relationships to when he was feeling more like his old self. He was still considered a danger, the programming being deeply engraved in him. 

But....  
But...........  
He wanted to talk to her.  
What harm could it do?


	3. Scans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy has a panic attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's only been a day but Darcy wanted her turn.
> 
> I hope to be able to update weekly but this will only be a short story I feel.

Was it possible to actually die of boredom?

Darcy tapped her toes together in time to the track playing through the speakers. She’d been waiting for what felt like hours. Checking her watch, it had only been 1 hour, only 1? Her watch was clearly a liar. Her numb ass and shoulders were sure it had been at least 4. Shifting a little eased it.

“Darcy Lewis! How many more times to I have to tell you? Don’t move!”

Jane’s voice permeated the chamber and made Darcy’s heart beat faster. It wasn’t often she was so stern with her intern but if they were ever going to get through the test she would have to stay on her back for a while longer. She knew that, didn’t make it any easier laying there though, just waiting.

Normally she would have argued back or at least sassed her boss a little, but unfortunately she was right. She had to stay still for the entire test. Apparently nearly being killed by a chrome giant, dark elves appearing through portals, her best friend being invaded by some paranormal force and then finally being dragged to the New York Avengers Tower was not just fucking up her cognitive abilities, but causing her to actually struggle to concentrate on anything or anyone. Her ‘couldn’t care less attitude’ had gone from playful to out and out rude. Most of the time she felt physically numb, constant nightmares left her panicking throughout the day and no-one, not even Thor himself, could make her feel safe.

So here she was in Tony’s lab, stuck in some scanning contraption, her brain being intensively watched. She’d been encouraged to doze by Tony but had told him exactly what he could do with that notion…. 

She had been so angry with Tony, why she wasn’t sure, but he was the only one that seemed to know what to say, know how to argue back. But this time he’d walked off, abandoned her. She was so sick of people tilting their head to one side as they “sympathised” with her. Maybe she should just pull herself together. After what the Avengers had gone through she had no right to make such a fuss over being a bit anxious. Just a few nightmares. Lashing out ….. No right at all. She wasn’t worth all this time. All these tests. All this expense. She was nothing but a stupid intern. Just a pair of tits on legs. Nobody cared. Nobody would. Nobody should.

Her breath quickened. Shallow gasps. The chamber span. Her reaching hands shook. What was happening? 

“Get me out” Her voice was too quiet. Why couldn’t she speak? Shout? Darcy’s anxiety shot through the roof. The chamber was too close, too dark, too strange. Escape. She needed out. 

“Darcy, please. Listen to my voice. Just concentrate on my voice.” Tony’s voice implored.

The shock of hearing his voice stilled her momentarily. He hadn’t abandoned her.

“Tony?” Nothing but a whisper came from her lips.

No answer. He couldn’t hear her.

“Tony? Please? I’m sorry. Let me out. Please.” Darcy’s voice broke as tears leaked down the sides of her face. Whimpering more pleases, she could hear soft voices close to the top of the machine. Pushing her hands up she connected with the roof of the container, feel the catches give.

“Nearly there Darcy, don’t push up, we’ve got you!”

Finally, the lid opened up, releasing Darcy as she tried to climb out. Her stiff body refused. Tony scooped her up and held her tightly as wracking sobs worked through her chest. Holding her stable he stroked her hair, gently shushing her. She could feel Jane behind her rubbing her back.

“I’m so, I’m so …sorry. Just let me go home. I’m no use to you.”

Tony pulled her away from him so he could see her face. “It’s ok kiddo, you’ve got PTSD. It’s a real problem, really real. Not made up, not imagined. Real. So fucking real it fucks up everything, and I mean everything. I know how much, Steve knows, Natasha knows. Even the new guy. Actually especially the new guy! Barnes spent over 50 years getting fucked over in the head. You two would make quite the pair.”

Holding her close again, Darcy finally felt more relaxed. Just a little. Her breathing calmed as she gained control. She remembered the day she had seen James Barnes; how could she forget…

It had been her first day at the Tower and she was feeling overwhelmed at the amount of attention Jane and Thor were getting. She’d tried to shrink back, hide in her enormous jumper. London had been a lot colder than New York when they had got on the plane. Whilst everyone was chatting away to Thor, his booming retorts and jokes filling up the room with raucous noise, she’d spotted two guys striding towards the far exit. The shorter was animatedly chatting away whilst the other scanned the room. His jaw length dark hair framed a stern, almost angry face. It didn’t take long before he scanned her face too. Convinced she had been caught looking, Darcy blushed and offered a small smile. His eyes locked with hers and neither looked away. He’d walked out of the room, still connected as she watched him go. The cliché was real; the room had stopped. Everything stopped.

After that moment, she could never forget those eyes.


	4. Hi!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where they finally get to meet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a little rushed but I hope you like it anyway x

“Umm, Hi?”

Bucky moved his attention from his mashed potato sculpture to the soft voice opposite him. As nonchalantly as possible he smashed his fork into the art work he’d spent the last half hour on.

“Hey”, he replied abruptly.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to startle you into destroying your lunch. Umm, d’ya mind if I sit here?”

He couldn’t believe it. She was here. Here, in the canteen. Asking to sit down. Here…..

“Bucky? ………Can I sit? ……………Or should I go? ………….Yes, I should go. ……….Yup.”

Darcy span around after waiting a few agonising heartbeats after each small question. He had just stared at her, through her. His blue eyes glazed over. Such pretty eyes, she caught herself thinking before trying to slink away as quickly as possible. How embarrassing.

She had taken the better part of her lunch hour, working up her nerve to speak to him. She’d seen Bucky in the canteen, just playing with his food. Carefully watching, wondering what he was thinking as he sculpted his mashed potatoes. Finally, she decided that it was worth a try. She was going to speak to Bucky Barnes, THE Bucky Barnes. The fricking Winter Soldier. Her nerve faltered and she sat back down again. “Oh for fucks sake girl, pull yourself together. He’s just a guy, just a lonely guy, eating lunch on his own, all by himself. You can do this!” Darcy muttered under her breath as she stood, adjusting her clothing. But here she was, just 5 minutes later, walking back to the elevator, completely mortified. Tony got it completely wrong, that they would make a good pair, Ha!

As she pressed the call button she felt a pull on her jacket. Turning, she stilled her breath, hoping against hope that it was Bucky. That he’d caught up with her.

“Darcy….I’m sorry. I’m not very good at small talk.”

He smiled as his gaze connected with hers.

Darcy felt bowled over by his sweet smile, his eyes bore into hers, seemingly searching her soul. Yes! she internally screamed. Never had that worked before. She was going to hope a bit more often.

“That’s ok Barnes. I just wanted to say hi, you know, just…Hi” She dropped her hot gaze and stared intently at her sneakers, hoping that they would suddenly grow wings and fly her away. She’d spent so many times day dreaming about this. How actually holding a conversation would go, what she’d say, what he’d say? How sparkling her wit would be, how he would laugh. How he would swipe his hair behind his ear…..and yet she was stuck on 'Hi'.

“Hi, yourself” Bucky noticed how she had dropped her gaze. Did she not actually want to talk to him, changed her mind? He had wanted to speak to her ever since he’d seen her in the communal living room 2 months ago. Unfortunately, he’d been away or had been stuck in therapy or with the others. Steve kept him busy training, Tony kept fiddling with his arm in the lab, Clint just wanted to play computer games in his quarters. Natasha had been the only one that had time to talk, about normal stuff. It had been so strange to see her again after all these years, although he only remembered snippets of their previous interactions. Mostly it had been training regimes back in the Red Room. However, he did remember how much he admired her agility, how quickly she could defuse situations. 

Natalia. A true killer. A true friend. She was so direct and so quick to notice when his programming was becoming problematic. She was never once, frightened of him. That was such a freeing aspect of his integration to the team. Clint had followed her lead and had treated him normally but he could always sense an edge to the friendship.

Reaching out he gingerly lifted Darcy's chin, bringing their eyes together again. He flashed her the warmest smile he could muster as he realised she hadn’t flinched at the touch of him. Hope warmed through him.

“So now we’ve said Hi, what would you like to say next?” He carefully moved his hand away.

“Well, I was just wondering if you fancied grabbing a coffee with me sometime. I have it on good authority that we would get along. Well, when I say good authority, I kinda mean that someone said we should probably hook up. Well not hook up! I mean get together….umm no I mean just go out….argh!”

Darcy started to blush and slapped her hand over her mouth, trying to stop anymore words tumbling from her in a never ending waterfall of pure embarrassment. It wasn’t normally this hard to speak to guys, even insanely hot guys. She needed to pull herself together before the Sargent decided she was too foolish to spend one more moment with.

Bucky laughed. Oh god he thinks I’m an idiot.

“Darcy? Coffee would be great. If it comes with a side of ‘hooking up’ I might just have to buy you dinner too.”

She looked up at him to see the widest grin, feeling her heart halt when he winked at her. Certain other parts of her body reacted just as strongly.

“Bucky Barnes!” she tried to sound affronted before flashing him a wide smile. She turned around and stepped into the lift, pressing the button for her floor. Lowering her gaze slightly and looking at him over the top of her black rims she purred “As long as you're the dessert”.


End file.
